President Barack Obama gave an emotional speech on January 5th, calling for a national commitment to cut down on gun violence and announcing his plan of executive actions in attempt to combat the epidemic of shootings that have occurred recently.

His plan focuses on expanding mental health services and background checks, in particular requiring checks for gun sales regardless of where the firearm is bought. This would mean that existing loopholes allowing those who sell small numbers of guns to not keep records would be closed. He also detailed plans for a newer, larger, 24/7 department to oversee background checks. Finally, he called for a national sense of urgency regarding gun violence

Many Americans share the exasperation Obama expressed at the persistent problem of gun violence in the United States, including sophomore Tess Hick.

“If there’s ever a shooting in Australia, which is super rare, the newspapers are full of editorials questioning what the country is coming to, while in Minneapolis there’s shootings all the time and no one thinks twice about it,” Hick said.

Although most everyone agrees that shootings are a problem in the United States, the solution to the problem is complex.

“Gun regulation is a tough question because you have to look at both sides of the spectrum: whether you should regulate guns because of a few crazy people who go one mass shooting sprees, or whether you should keep guns for the security of all people,” Sophomore Brian Orza said.

Many, including president Obama, believe more thorough background checks could prevent dangerous people from obtaining guns.

“The loophole of private gun shows not having to do background checks or legally document the purchase of a gun definitely needs to be eliminated because a lot of weapons obtained that way have been used in criminal cases,” junior Lauren Hansen said.

“People should be allowed to buy guns, but they need to pass all the background checks and tests and go through all the documentation to make sure the process is regulated and completely legal,” Hansen said.

Although junior Weston Lombard agrees that background checks are a good idea, he questions whether they are the most effective way to prevent mass shootings

“Most of the people who are doing bad things with guns are getting them illegally anyway. They’re usually not the ones going through the background check process, so I think working on trying to keep guns out of those people’s hands should be our first priority,” Lombard said.

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For example, the guns used in the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting three years ago were taken from the shooter’s mother, while the perpetrators of the recent San Bernardino shooting borrowed the guns from a friend, completely legally.

It is clear that the gun control debate is far from over, and will only gain momentum in the coming months.

“With elections coming up, gun control is a big issue, and one the politicians want to address,” Orza said. 

For more information about the opinions of SPA students on the subject of gun control check out The Rubicon’s story on the San Bernadino shooting earlier this year and the  discussions surroundings gun control.